International law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges has advised OMERS Private Equity (OPE) on its acquisition of Civica, the specialist systems and business process services provider, for an enterprise value of £390 million. The transaction was conducted on an expedited timetable following a highly contested auction process.
Civica is a provider of software systems, cloud-based IT services and technical outsourcing primarily to public sector organisations in the UK and globally, and employs over 2,000 staff. OPE will support the management team in growing Civica’s offering by capitalising on organic growth opportunities and selective acquisitions.
OMERS Private Equity, the private equity investment arm of the OMERS pension plan, is an existing client of the firm, and we have advised its European private equity team on three of its four direct European investments since their London office was established in 2009. Prior to the Civica acquisition, a team led by Marco Compagnoni has advised on the 2011 acquisition of V.Group, the supplier of independent ship management services to the global shipping industry, and the investment in Haymarket Financial, a specialist provider of credit financing to middle-market European businesses in 2009.
The Weil team was led by partners Marco Compagnoni and Simon Lyell, along with associates Edd Watson, Lewis Blakey, Richard Draper. Banking partner Mark Donald, assisted by associate Chris Barron, provided advice on the acquisition financing aspects. Joanne Etherton and Ivor Gwilliams advised on pensions and employment issues, and associate Muzaffar Shah advised on technology and IP issues.
